Join our Austin Marathon Team and come run the streets of Austin as we hit the pavement to raise money for Down syndrome research!!! February 18th, 2018. For more information visit our LuMindRDS Runner’s Page.

LuMind RDS is proud to be a Bronze sponsor of the 2018 DSAIA Conference. We are looking forward to reuniting with our Down syndrome affiliates on February 23rd in Denver to continue collaborating in our shared goals of improving health and independence in individuals with Down syndrome. Swing by the LuMindRDS Booth located at Booth 8 & 9 to learn more about the exciting research that is getting closer to clinical trials and the new LuMind RDS initiatives for the Down syndrome community.

To register or find out more information about the conference go to the DSAIA website. Our thanks to DSAIA and the conference committee for their exceptional work organizing this important meeting.

Dr. Tarik Haydar and Dr. Nadine Aziz
from the Boston University School of Medicine

Join LuMind RDS with Dr. Tarik Haydar and Dr. Nadine Aziz to learn more about what is going on in the brain’s white matter, how it affects speed, signaling and processing in the brain. You will hear the results of recent research that demonstrates it matters in Down syndrome and may be a potential target to improve the brain circuitry that affect the speed and rate of processing information.

L-R: Dr. Nadine Aziz and Dr. Tarik Haydar

Dr. Tarik Haydar and Dr. Nadine Aziz will provide the background of white matter, the differences found with Down syndrome and present their research path and methodology followed by a Questions and Answers session.

If you can’t join us, register today and receive a link to the recording after the live webinar!

Webinar description:

Join us to learn what is going on in your white matter, how it affects speed, signaling and processing in the brain, and the results of recent research that demonstrates it matters in Down syndrome and may be a potential target to improve the brain circuitry that affect the speed and rate of processing information. Dr. Tarik Haydar and Dr. Nadine Aziz will provide the background of white matter, the differences found with Down syndrome and present their research path and methodology followed by a Questions and Answers session.

About Dr. Tarik Haydar:

For the past 20 years, Dr. Haydar has dedicated himself to advancing our understanding of Down syndrome. As a PhD student at the University of Maryland, he worked with Dr. Bruce Krueger on brain development in the Ts16 mouse, the first mouse model of Down syndrome in 1997. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship on cellular/molecular mechanisms of brain development at Yale University, working with Dr. Pasko Rakic.

Dr. Haydar returned to Down syndrome research in 2002 when he established an independent laboratory at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. Studying brain development of the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome, he determined that two triplicated genes (Olig1 and Olig2) may play a role in changing the balance of excitation and inhibition in the brains of people with Down syndrome. In 2010, Dr. Haydar moved to Boston University, where he is currently investigating the causes of changes in white matter production in the central nervous system in Down syndrome.

About Dr. Nadine Aziz:

Dr. Aziz is a postdoctoral associate at Boston University School of Medicine working in Dr. Haydar’s lab. She is interested in characterizing the determinants of proper central nervous system development and function during gestation. Specifically, She studies the etiology of atypical central nervous system development and its impact on cognition and motor function in Down syndrome. She is involved in multiple interrelated projects utilizing mouse models of Down syndrome.

LuMind RDS is proud to be a sponsor of the 2018 MDSC Adult Conference. We are looking forward to reuniting with our Down syndrome affiliates on April 28th in Waltham, MA to continue collaborating in our shared goals of improving health and independence in individuals with Down syndrome. Swing by the LuMindRDS Booth to learn more about the exciting research that is getting closer to clinical trials and the new LuMind RDS initiatives for the Down syndrome community.

To find out more information go to www.mdsc.org. Hope to see you there!!!

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Don’t let it get in the way of cognitive potential!

Jessica and Jesse Rivera with Dr. Christopher Hartnick. Image used with permission from Mass Eye and Ear

Live webinar with Dr. Brian Skotko from the Mass General Hospital Down Syndrome Program and Dr. Christopher Hartnick from Mass Eye and Ear

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Don’t let obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) get in the way of cognitive potential! OSA occurs in nearly 3 out of every 4 people with Down syndrome. Symptoms are often silent, with no warning to caregivers and clinicians. Untreated sleep apnea may result in worsening medical issues and loss of cognitive functioning. Register now at http://bit.ly/321Sleep for this live webinar on April 25th to learn about the latest ways to detect apnea in persons with Down syndrome and new advances in how to treat obstructive sleep apnea led by Dr. Brian.Skotko from MGHDownSyndrome and Dr. Christopher Hartnick from MassEyeAndEar. A webinar not to be missed for every parent or caregiver!

Join LuMind RDS Runners at the Flying Pig Race Series on May 5th, 2018!

The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is a beautiful course, which flies along the streets of Cincinnati, Covington, Newport, Mariemont, Fairfax and Columbia Township. Join us for the 5K, 10K, Half, Full, or Relay Marathon.

Join LuMind RDS Runners at the Pittsburg Marathon Series on May 6th, 2018!

Join us for a weekend of family fun and races! With so many distances to choose from – full marathon, half-marathon, five-person relay, 5K, kids one-mile and pet walk – you’re sure to find the race that’s right for every member of the family!

Watch this live webinar for perspectives on Alzheimer’s Disease biomarkers in Down syndrome from leading experts, Dr. André Strydom and Dr. Juan Fortea, with the Londowns Consortium and the Down Alzheimer Barcelona Neuroimaging Initiative.

Dr. André Strydom (MRCPsych, MSc, PhD)
King’s College LondonDr. Strydom is a Professor in Intellectual Disabilities at the world-leading Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, where his research is focused on mental disorders in adults with neurodevelopmental conditions, including Down syndrome and other genetic disorders.Professor Strydom is particularly interested in ageing-related conditions such as dementia in adults with Intellectual Disability and Down syndrome. He is the chief investigator of the LonDownS consortium http://www.ucl.ac.uk/london-down-syndrome-consortium which consists of several research groups from prominent London universities (KCL, UCL, QMUoL, Birkbeck and the Crick Institute) working on various aspects of Alzheimer’s disease in Down syndrome. One of the important aims of the consortium is to deliver the knowledge, tools and expertise that is necessary to enable clinical trials of treatment to prevent or delay the onset of dementia in individuals with Down syndrome.

Dr. Juan Fortea, Faculty Neurologist.
Hospital de la Santa Creu I Sant Pau and Fundació Catalana Síndrome de Down.Dr. Fortea has extensive experience in clinical practice and in medical research, whose focus is the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease as well as its development in Down syndrome.Dr. Fortea’s PhD specialization was the study of pre-­‐clinical Alzheimer disease in sporadic and familial cohorts through the use of multimodal MRI and CSF studies. Today, he is the principal investigator of multiple research projects in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome, and he leads the Neuroimaging Laboratory within the St Pau Memory Unit. One of his most significant contributions is the creation and implementation of a health plan for the screening of Alzheimer’s disease in adults with Down syndrome that includes longitudinal assessments and a comprehensive biomarker research program. This cohort is one of the largest in the world complete with multimodal biomarkers, including MRI and PET imaging, plasma and CSF as well as polysomnography tests.